


Execute Orders

by FrozenHearts



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Fusion, Cal Kestis Needs a Hug, Canon Compliant, Escape, Finn Needs A Hug (Star Wars), First Meetings, Force Sensitivity, Force Use, Force-Sensitive Finn (Star Wars), Gen, Implied/Referenced Torture, Jedi, Jedi: Fallen Order Spoilers, Kylo Ren is Not Nice, Mentioned BB-8, Mentioned Cere Junda, Mentioned General Armitage Hux, Mentioned Jaro Tapal, Mentioned Kylo Ren, Mentioned Second Sister, Near Death, Near Death Experiences, Not Canon Compliant, Order 66, Poe Dameron Needs A Hug, Post-Order 66, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Psychometry, Rescue, Rescue Missions, Self-Discovery, The Force, Trauma, Whump, kind of, stormtroopers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-28
Updated: 2019-11-28
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:01:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21527980
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrozenHearts/pseuds/FrozenHearts
Summary: While Finn and Poe are trying to escape the Finalizer, they run into another poor soul in need of a pilot
Relationships: BD-1 & Cal Kestis, Cal Kestis & Finn, Chewbacca & Cal Kestis, Poe Dameron & Cal Kestis, Poe Dameron & Finn
Comments: 5
Kudos: 200





	Execute Orders

**Author's Note:**

> So I'm loving Jedi Fallen Order and tbh I really want Cameron Monoghan to play Cal in a live action setting so I decided hey why not fuse the Force Awakens with Fallen Order and this came about so enjoy!!

Poe didn't really expect to get out of that chair.

Kylo Ren had him strapped down pretty damn good, the lights were blinding and the man was just beginning to loom menacingly over him as he squirmed and thrashed and spat curses into his stupid helmeted face. Just before Kylo could ask any questions, demand any answers, however, a blaring alarm sounded throughout the ship and Poe found himself strapped to a torture chair, alone and with no back up; he had set to work twisting his wrists and yanking himself free and now as he ran through the sterilized halls and avoided any stormtroopers, his wrists were aching severely.

That, and he realized after wandering around that he had no blaster to protect himself with. 

"Ah, Kriff!" Poe hissed under hus breath as he heard heavy footsteps approaching. Quickly, he ducked into a doorframe, practically slamming himself into the darkest corner he could find, chest heaving as he waited to see who it was.

A Stormtrooper walked briskly into the room, and Poe clapped a hand over his mouth to keep from cursing out loud. He watched as the trooper approached what looked like a bunk bed (great- Poe was going to have to add "accidental voyeur" onto his resume after this) and almost gasped as he watched said trooper plunk himself down and take off his helmet to reveal a young man with dark skin, black hair cropped close to his head and an odd expression on his face.

"You really look confused buddy," Poe blurted, jumping when the man picked his head up and stared right at him. 

"Who are you?" the trooper demanded, "How did you-"

Smiling as best he could, Poe stepped forward, running a hand through his messy curls and said, "Name's Poe, Poe Dameron- currently Resistance Pilot and torture victim at the hands of yours truly, now do you know how to get out of here?"

For a second, Poe didn't think the guy understood and he really wished he had his blaster because the silence was unnerving. His wrists ached and he was tired and he just wanted to go home, but of course he had to run right back into the enemy hands after-

"You mean Kylo Ren?" the guy asked suddenly.

"Huh?"

"Kylo Ren is torturing you?" the trooper asked and kriff, he sounded scared, brow furrowed in confusion as he tried to process what Poe had just said.

"Yeah, well," Poe shrugged, "You're probably gonna take me back and get me killed anyway so-"

"I can help you."

Poe stopped sliding along the wall, freezing just as he had his hand wrapped around the doorframe. Slowly, he looked back at the trooper, "What?"

"I... I never felt like I belonged here?" the trooper said with uncertainty, "I-I-"

"You want to escape too," Poe finished for him, pulling his hand back inside. He watched as the trooper nodded, although his eyes flitted nervously between Poe and the door; just outside they could hear more feet, the familiar stomping of armored boots accompanied by the hiss of a sliding door. The trooper nodded, twiddling his thumbs like he didn't know what to do with his hands. Poe allowed himself to scan the room: each bunk was against the wall, the sheets fresh and done with perfect hospital corners. There were no windows or shelves, no knick knacks or treasures.

It was a bed room, Poe realized, but at the same time it wasn't.

"What's your name, man?" Poe asked hurriedly, leaning close. He could see now the thin sheen of sweat on the man's skin. The trooper proceeded to regurgitate a string of numbers and Poe waved them off, "No, no you need two things."

The trooper cocked his head, "Two things?"

Poe nodded, reaching out and clapping a hand on his shoulder although he instantly regretted it as pain laced up his arm. Gritting his teeth, he ignored it.

"First, you need a name," Poe said, "I ain't callig you whatever you just told me. You know what? I'll call you Finn- you like that?"

A light bloomed in the trooper's eyes and there were the tiniest beginnings of a smile as he nodded, "Yeah... yeah, I like that, Finn."

"Well, Finn, the other thing you're gonna need is a ship."

Finn nodded, "We have plenty of those on the Finalizer. I can get us one no problem- but I don't know how to fly one-"

Poe beamed, knowing he must look like an absolute wreck; a bruise along his jaw hurt as he worked his muscles but he didn't care.

"Turns out, I'm a pilot, and I know a guy," Poe said confidently.

A moment passed as they heard more stomping- Finn peeked outside to check, only to confirm they were safe for now.

"You mean you?"

Poe rolled his eyes, "Well, yeah, but I have a co-pilot- tall, furry, your guys probably brought him in here too?"

"You mean the Wookie?" Finn confirmed and Poe wanted to hug him.

If Chewie was here, they were definitely able to leave. While Poe considered himself the best pilot in the Resistance, he didn't hold a candle to Chewbacca and the beast would never let him live it down if he made such claims.

In front of his face, that is. Heart beating rapidly, Poe asked, "Where is he?"

"They... they took him down to the cells," Finn explained. "Apparently the Order found some remaining Wookies on Bracca and threw him in with them."

Great. Just Kriffing great- Poe's brain was running a mile a minute- did he see the cells? Did he pass any cells? How did they manage to fit prison cells on this giant bucket anyway-

"If we need your Wookie friend, we should go now," Finn's urgent tone brought him back to reality, "Just... follow my lead, okay? We can get him and get out in no time."

\-----

Chewbacca knew who the red head human was the minute they threw him in the cell with him. He wore ripped and bloodied work clothes- those of the Bracca scrappers- but Chosyyk had made sure the name Cal Kestis was spread far and wide after the guy had apparently single-handedly rescued the multiple Wookie villagers from an Imperial refinery. 

"If the Wookie eats him it'll be the last Jedi to worry about," the Stormtrooper laughed, the other high-fiving him before they shut the cell door and walked off. Chewbacca made sure they were completely gone before approaching the Jedi cautiously- for all he knew, Cal could be playing dead. Up close, he was younger than Chewbacca thought he was, pale skin marred with a few scars across his face, freckles faint on the bridge of his nose where one scar was rather deep. 

Chewbacca made a noise, reaching out and shaking him slightly. 

Nothing.

Pressing a claw to Cal's neck, he searched for a pulse: it was thready, faint. More searching revealed an almost empty pack of stims, the last one barely filled a quarter of the way with a healing liquid.

Well, shit. If Poe or Han were here, they'd know what to do; Han always had a medpack on his person and Poe was quick to act in case of emergency, but Han was back at the Resistance base with Leia and Luke, and Ppe had been taken to a separate chamber when they had gotten caught and their plane seized.Chewbacca shivered at the thought of Poe being tortured and quickly shoved it away- Cal was in need of help and Chewbacca was the only one around to provide.

Carefully, Chewbacca unclipped the stim pack from Cal's belt, letting the last vial fall into his paw. Claws clinking against the glass, Chewbacca aimed it with the needle down, right above the juncture between Cal's neck and shoulder.

Nothing happened. Chewbacca shook him again, but Cal was limp and unresponsive. Blindly, he went to paw at Cal's clothes in hopes he had pockets when a small beep caught his attention. Freezing, Chewbacca turned his head to find himself face to face with a bi-pedal droid; he recognized it as the BD-1 model, used mostly for exploration and research purposes. It seemed uneasy, bouncing from one leg to the other as it beeped angrily at Chewbacca-

-and then it skittered away, between the bars of the cell to climb up the side of the wall. Chewbacca watched as it released some sort of plug, blue sparks flying as it jammed the plug into some unseen outlet and suddenly, the bars had disappeared, zinging in to their respective slots in the floor as the cell was opened. With a triumphant beep, BD-1 hopped excitedly and then it dawned on Chewbacca:

The droid wanted him to come with it. 

Grumbling under his breath, Chewbacca slid his paws under Cal's knees and behind his back and lifted him oh so carefully; stealing a glance down he could see a small red pool and now that he held Cal like this, there was no mistaking the dampness on his back getting matted against his fur. As he ran after the little droid, Chewbacca tightened his grip on the human in his arms.

If Chosyyk knew this human, then Chewbacca was going to get him out. The Wookies owed him that much after what he went through to help them on Kashyyyk. 

\------

Finn only vaguely knew the way to the cells, but with Poe alongside him, he felt a tad more confident in their mission; he wasn't a fan of pretending to transport a prisoner, but if they were going to get Poe's Wookie friend free, it was what they had to do.

"Doing great, buddy," Poe whispered from the corner of his mouth as they marched through the dreary halls, "You doing alright?"

Finn nodded, despite his breath catching in his throat, "Yeah, make a left here-"

Before Finn could finish giving his directions, an alarm sounded, and he pushed Poe against a nearby wall, pulling his own blaster out just in case-

Well, he wasn't sure, but better to be safe than sorry, right? The footsteps were heavy, pounding down against the slippery floor. They were accompanied by a series of boops and beeps and the click of metal on metal and just as Finn clicked the safety off of his blaster, Poe had rushed forward, fave bright as he exclaimed, "Chewie! You made it!"

A roar made Finn jump and he found himself staring down the barrell of a blaster at a very angry Wookie. Its fur was matted and dirty from being in the cells, fangs bared as it growled. Poe was trying his best to calm the creature down, his voice soft and smooth as he tried to explain that Finn was a friend, but who is this you have with you?

"That's the Jedi the Second Sister turned in recently," Finn chimed in, "I saw when she did, it... wasn't pretty."

"The Second Sister?" Poe asked, brow furrowed.

"A group of Sith under the Order 66," Finn said, lip curling as he took in the Jedi"s condition, "Reinstated after they found this one on a scrapper site on Bracca."

A protective growl from the Wookie, and while Finn didn't know what he said, but he felt he agreed. Pale skin was mottled with bruises and cuts and scars, red hair damp with dirt and grease. A leather worker's vest was torn to shreds and the dark blue fabric underneath was dark and damp- Finn knew it was blood, even if he didn't want to believe it. 

"Order 66 was banned years ago," Poe said in awe, as he stared at the Jedi.

"Reinstated," Finn reiterated, "Apparently this one freed Wookies from being sold into slavery on Kashyyk, discovered a bunch of old Jedi tombs on Zeffo and Bogano as well."

"And you Stormtroopers were after him the whole time?"

Finn shrugged, "Guess he was a big deal if we sent the Second Sister after hi- ow!"

A sharp jab in his ankle made Finn yelp, and he glanced down to see a small droid jabbing a plug between the slats of his armor- angry beeping came from it, the thing jumping as high as it could to get to his knees.

Chewbacca roared and started shouldering his way between Poe and Finn, the Jedi beinf jostled ever so slightly, but he didn't wake up. After making sure the hall was clear, Finn turned to Chewbacca, chin held high as he squared his shoulders.

"I'm getting out of here too," Finn announced, "If you follow my lead, I can help you get out faster. You in?"

A roar, followed by an almost purr-like noise. He lifted the Jedi higher in his arms, tucking his face into the crook of his furry shoulder.

Poe nodded, leaning down to let the droid (it must belong to the Jedi, Finn realized) climb up Poe's arm to rest on his shoulder. 

"He said we need to be quick- Cal is in danger and he won't have long," Poe translated, the droid beeping in agreement. It seemed on high alert, antennae stiff in the air as it swiveled its head back and forth. 

Gritting his teeth, Finn undid the safety on his blaster. 

"Let's go to hangar," Finn gestured for his new friends to follow, "I can get you a ship."

\-------

Getting on a plane was the easy part. Getting off the Finalizer was the easy part too. Now, as Poe put the ship on autopilot, he headed to the back where Chewie was watching over their new guest as he slept. Knocking on the wall, Poe ducked down to get into the bunk area, watching as Chewbacca stood vigil at one of the beds. 

"How're you holding up?" Poe asked. 

Chewbacca grumbled, shrugging as he wrung his paws. Poe knelt down beside the bunk the Jedi slept on, leaning forward to get a better look at him. 

He was young, possibly late twenties, and it was clearer to see the bags under his eyes and the scars on his face once he was cleaned up. His hair was a brighter red than Poe had imagined, but he thought it fit him.

"What's his name?" Poe asked, looking up at his fellow pilot.

Chewbacca moaned.

"Cal Kestis?" Poe confirmed, "I'm surprised he made it this far- wanna tell me about him?"

Chewbacca sent him a look.

"I never met a Jedi before!" Poe laughed, raising his hands in defense, "What can he do?"

So Poe listened as Chewbacca launched into a story of a young Jedi trying to restore the Jedi order. Poe listened to tales of a man who could use the Force in ways Poe never imagined- pushing, pulling, freezing time! He winced as he listened to Chewbacca explain Cal's Psychometry- constantly hearing voices to the point where you're put in physical pain, to the point you couldn't move, it must be awful. 

On the bed, Poe noticed Cal's nose scrunch up as he slept, a hand instinctively going for a lightsaber on his belt that wasn't there.

"Once we get him back to the Resistance base, Leia might be able to take him under her wing," Poe said. His knees ached as he pushed himself up, but he ignored the pain, instead smiling as Chewbacca offered words of concern. "I'm okay, Chewie- Cal needs a lot of rest, I'm sure you and his little droid can handle it."

The BD-1 unit was nowhere to be found, but Poe assumed it was running around the ship, taking in its new surroundings.

He left the sleeping quarters quickly- he needed to check on Finn.

\-----

Finn found Cal's droid to be quite interesting. He'd never interacted with any other droid that wasn't programmed to kill on sight or maim significantly. The ones he knew during his time as a Stormtrooper were terrifying, so he always did his best to avoid them during drills or lunch breaks in the canteen. This little guy was digging around curiously, digging into the crevices and beeping excitedly when it found something.

It was nice, in Finn's opinion, not to have a killing machine to co-exist with. He could remember Cal's face as he and the droid had been separated too, how stricken with grief he had been as the Second Sister dragged him away, another Stormtrooper scooping the droid up so Kylo Ren could take it apart. 

Finn didn't think he cared much about the prisoners Kylo Ren took until that moment. In the back of his mind, whenever they raided a village or took over a planet, something was nagging at him that it was wrong. When he saw Kylo Ren or General Hux smiling about their mass take overs or heard other Stormtroopers joking about it Finn always felt uneasy and he never could explain the wrenching in his gut every time. So he would just excuse himself to his bunk and use the refresher. and try not to think about it. 

But then he saw how Cal looked like he'd died on the spot, how Chewbacca carried his limp, unconscious body oh so carefully as they made their escape. 

And, his brain supplied helpfully, he met Poe. He had seen the torture inflicted upon Poe up close and Finn didn't want to see such scars or bruising on such an outgoing, admirable man ever again. He didn't want to see anyone hiding their hurt like Poe probably was as they made their move, nor the worry reflected by Chewbacca as they dragged an almost corpse through the Finalizer with them. 

The droid had stopped exploring, and it had hopped up on the table, tilting it's square head to the side as it scrutinized him.

"I see BD-1 has warmed up to you," Poe's voice cut through Finn's thoughts, "I'm surprised BB-8 hasn't come to see him."

Finn raised an eybrow, "BB-8?"

Poe smiled softly, taking a seat on the couch next to Finn. There was a fond look in his eye as he held a hand out for BD-1 to inspect.

"My own droid," Poe explained as BD-1 prodded Poe's open palm with his antennae, "He's a bit of a jealous type, I'll be honest."

Finn didn't say anything, watching as BD-1 disregarded Poe's hand to jump off the table with a sharp beep. They watched it amble towards the bunks, where Cal was sleeping. 

Where Cal was dying, if they didn't get back to this Resistance in time. 

"Hey," Poe nudged Finn's side sharply with his elbow, "Don't think so hard, yeah? What's on your mind?"

Finn shrugged, "I, uh... I guess I'm terrified? Confused? I don't... I don't really know what to feel honestly."

Poe made a face like he was considering it, a frown that was almost comical in its execution but disappeared as soon as it came.

"That's okay," Poe said, "I don't know how Cal will feel if and when he wakes up, and Chewie might be a little apprehensive, but-"

Finn shook his head, "They have every right to be wary of me," he said, "I'm a Stormtrooper, after all."

"Ex- Stormtrooper," Poe pointed out, "You're your own man now, Finn."

Right. His name. Finn. It felt so foreign on the tip of his tongue, how it sounded to his ears. He'd never been his own man before, always just a string of numbers and letters for Kylo Ren to use and discard. A warm hand drew Finn out of his thoughts and he looked at Poe.

"I don't think I know how to be my own man," Finn admitted.

"Then you take it one step at a time," Poe assured him, "I'll be here to help you if you want."

A strained silence fell over them. The ship was sailing smoothly, and Finn could vaguely hear BD-1 and Chewbacca talking to Cal- there was a confused groan, and Finn knew the Jedi had finally woken up.

Cal was okay.

"I feel... I feel like I should apologize to him," Finn gestured to the sleeping quarters.

"If you want," Poe said, "Would it make you feel better?"

Finn paused- would it? There was a heavy feeling in his stomach, and he entertained thr small notion that Cal would refuse to talk to him, maybe stay out of sight after what the Stormtroopers did to him, whatever it was. Chewbacca would probably rip his head off if he got close, but at the same time, maybe it would help. Maybe they could all get some sort of closure, even if it won't fix everything because even Finn knew it wouldn't. Not totally, not forever. 

Finn had seen a lot of prisoners go under Kylo Ren's thumbs and they never were the same when they came out versus when they went in. 

"I think it will," Finn finally said, "at least.. it's a start."

Poe helped him up, throwing an arm around his shoulder and Finn let himself be guided towards the sleeping area. The doorframe was small, just big enough for Finn and Poe to stand side by side and Finn swallowed nervously as Poe cleared his throat, announcing their presence.

The effect was immediate; Cal stiffened just enough to tell he was still apprehensive. Bruises and cuts mottled his skin, but Finn was grateful to hee he was no longer actively dying.

"I wanted to say..." Finn coughed awkwardly, leaning into Poe's supportive side-hug as he trailed off.

Cal looked at him nervously, fisting the blanket he had in his fists. His voice was rough- from screaming or disuse, Finn wasn't entirely sure- as he stated, "You're the Stormtrooper who got us out."

Licking his lips, Finn nodded, "Y-yeah... and I wanted to say that I'm sorry. For what happened."

Cal's face was blank and Finn thought it was only a matter of seconds before Cal started screaming at him. Maybe call him a monster, throw something at him, throw him out of the room-

"Thank you."

Finn blinked, "Huh?"

Cal nodded his head, "You risked your life to help three people you didn't know. Thanks, for that."

Finn exchanged a confused look with Poe before spluttering, "B-but I-! I'm a Stormtrooper!"

Cal shrugged, "So?"

"Ex-Stormtrooper," Poe chimed in, Chewbacca grunting in agreement. 

"You're not going to yell at me? Spit or call me names?"

Cal frowned, blue eyes glittering with confusion, "I-is that what you want me to do?"

Finn shook his head, "N-no, but given what happened, I was sure you would hate me. Just a bit, at least."

Again there was an awkwardness as the words fell from his mouth. BD-1 beeped, hopping up into the bed to burrow in the puddle of blankets in Cal's lap. Finn noticed the scars on Cal's hands as the Jedi went to pet the droid; his hands were rough, skin scarred and blistered from his life as a scrapper and his time on the run, Finn had no doubts about it. 

"I'm still in training to be a Jedi," Cal finally said, smiling down at the droid in his lap, "but my master told me before he died, he always said 'What is in the way becomes the way.'"

Poe chuckled, "Not 'trust in the Force'?"

Cal nodded, "Master Tapal said that too, but the other saying always stuck with me more." He picked up his head to look Finn right in the eye and Finn felt a sense of.... something flood through him, tingling at the tips of his fingers, flowing through his veins.

"You were a Stormtrooper," Cal said, "Now you're not, right? I used to take it at face value, but as I grew into my abilities and connection with the Force, I came to realize that it meant trust."

"Trust?" Finn echoed.

"Yeah, like... You were a Stormtrooper. You found a roadblock in your way to... becoming you, if that makes sense," Cal ducked his head, "So you made being an ex-Stormtrooper your way because being a Stormtrooper was getting in your way to being.... you. A new person. A better person, if that makes sense."

Huh. 

A sense of relief washed over Finn as he detached himself from Poe, moving to sit on the edge of Cal's bunk. BD-1 booped as he was moved ever so slightly, but didn't bother getting up, watching curiously as Finn stuck out his hand, a smile pulling at the edge of his lips.

"My name is Finn," Finn said confidently, beaming as Cal carefully reached out his own hand to grab Finn's. "Former Stormtrooper, now a member of the Resistance."

"Cal Kestis," Cal replied, "Former Padawan turned Jedi- and this is BD-1, my droid."

As Finn shook Cal's hand, as Poe clapped a hand on his shoulder and went to take over the pilot seat as they neared closer to the Resistance base, that odd feeling flew through Finn's body once more. It felt powerful as it emanated from Cal, pouring off his person until the air was practically suffocated with it, but it was almost comforting, too. 

_Trust in the Force,_ Finn heard an older man's voice at the forefront of his mind, and from the almost teary- eyed look on Cal's face, he had heard it too, _it shall guide your way._

"Master Tapal...." Cal said in awe, "You heard it too?"

Finn nodded, "Yeah, I did...."

BD-1 jumped in place, voice box shrill with excitement and Cal looked so happy he could cry; in fact he was, tears pricking the corners of his eyes.

"We can rebuild the Jedi again," Cal sniffed, "We can finish our mission, BD..."

Pursing his lips, Finn let Cal ignore him to talk to the droid, but even as he moved through the ship to join Poe and Chewbacca in the cockpit, that same feeling still jolted his insides, and this time Tapal's voice was echoed by a woman's, a sense of warmth flooding Finn's senses as she spoke words of comfort in his ear:

_Trust in the Force and all will be well._

**Author's Note:**

> I'll split this into chapters at a later date if i feel like it because it got super long lmaoo
> 
> Also Happy Thanksgiving!!


End file.
